‘Internal waterfall’ at Leonard St. building after pipe bursts

A helpful passerby sweeps water from the lobby of 25 LeonardSt. after a pipe burst and flooded the building. Downtown Express photo by Sam Spokony

BY SAM SPOKONY | A water pipe in a Tribeca apartment building froze and burst on Thursday afternoon, officials said, as residents faced an icy torrent from above.

The sixth-floor pipe at the top of 25 Leonard St. burst shortly after 1:10 p.m., according to a Fire Department spokesperson, showering water throughout the building’s lower floors and flooding the lobby.

Firefighters responded to the scene minutes later and shut off the water, while several residents looked on after evacuating the building.

“It was an internal waterfall,” said one first-floor resident.

After firefighters left around 1:40 p.m., there were still several inches of water in the lobby, and a Laight St. building super who happened to be walking past the scene helped out by sweeping out the excess water and tossing salt on the ice that had formed outside the building’s entrance.

“The same thing happened at 345 Greenwich St. yesterday,” said the Laight St. super, who identified himself as Dennis, adding that other similar incidents have been common Downtown following the recent days of single-digit temperatures.